


Mutiny

by miss_aligned



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Mass Effect 1, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-06-21
Packaged: 2018-07-16 09:53:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7263187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_aligned/pseuds/miss_aligned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Thank you to my <a href="http://miss-aligned.tumblr.com/post/143748960379/hi-your-favorite-anon-here-if-youre-still">favoritest anon</a> for the prompt!)</p><p>Commander Shepard has a lot on her mind as she and her crew prepare to free the Normandy from the Citadel and go after Saren. She has orders to give and apologies to offer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mutiny

The Commander rubbed her forehead, completely immersed in thought as she made her way toward the Normandy. She was concerned about how this was all going to pan out. Anderson had determined it necessary to do something brash to free the frigate from the Citadel, and while Shepard agreed, the consequences for most of them were going to be severe once all was said and done.

The lone human Spectre was unexpectedly brought to a halt by a turian hand on each of her shoulders. He was staring down at her with an unnerving intensity, but over the relatively short time she’d been working with Garrus, she’d learned to read him a little better than most humans. The slight tilt of his head, the curved position of his shoulders, and the gentle pressure of his grip all hinted at his concern. He was waiting for her to do or say something.

“What?” She blinked at him in confusion. He didn’t often jump in front of her and stop her in her tracks, after all.

“We’ve been trying to talk to you ever since we left Flux,” Garrus responded. Shepard saw Kaidan step up beside them and nod in agreement.

“Sorry. I was just… thinking,” Shepard muttered, shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head.

“We’re with you,” the turian answered, “for whatever we need to do to get this finished.”

The Commander nodded. She hated that she was dragging her friends and crew down this horrible path. They deserved far better than becoming mutineers, that was certain. Even if Garrus and Kaidan had made the decision to take the Normandy from the Citadel without authorization, the rest of the crew needed the chance to get out before they put their careers or lives on the line.

“Garrus,” Shepard suddenly said, resuming her usual tone of authority. His hands immediately dropped back to his sides as he straightened and awaited his orders. “I need you to go on ahead to the ship and brief the crew. I want them to know and understand the situation. Tell them that they can leave without any sort of judgment or repercussions from me.”

“Sure, but…” Garrus paused as he carefully worded his response. “Are you sure you want me to do it? I mean, this is sort of an Alliance matter and I’m not exactly an Alliance soldier.” He gestured to his obviously very turian features.

“Yes,” she quickly answered. “If they don’t trust _you_ , then they don’t trust _me_.”

Something about her words seemed to make Garrus stand a little taller. If she could have described the look of a proud turian, he would have been a picture perfect example in that moment. The former C-Sec officer nodded and turned, walking quickly off in the direction of the Normandy.

“Do you… have orders for me, Commander?” Kaidan quietly asked, clearly searching her face for answers to many unvoiced questions.

“I need to talk to you,” Shepard responded. Glancing around, she realized that they were in a rather low-traffic area of the wards, strange as that seemed. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, as she doubted that either of her two teammates would have elected to confront her in front of a crowd. “Or, apologize, rather.”

“Apologize? For what?” His brow furrowed as he moved to stand in front of her, in the space Garrus had just vacated. She saw his gaze drift downwards to her hand, and she guessed that he was debating whether he should reach for it or not.

Shepard sighed, knowing that she needed to push her feelings aside and force him to do the same. They couldn’t do this indecisive dance any longer. The more they toyed with the idea of breaking fraternization regs, the more distracted they became. She knew she was, at least, and if they were going to charge after Saren, they needed to have clear heads.

“Earlier by the lockers… I almost… I’m sorry. Some of the things I’ve said to you have been inappropriate and I don’t want you to feel any pressure…” She scratched her head as she awkwardly stared at her feet for a moment. It was so strange to be so tongue-tied. She could curse the Council with a fluidity that would flabbergast the galaxy, but when it came to talking to her own Lieutenant, she couldn’t form a sentence.

“Oh, when Joker interrupted our… talk?” She wasn’t looking at him, but she could almost feel the smirk on his lips.

“Yes.” She idly rubbed her forehead once more as she tried to put her thoughts into words. “I almost kissed you and I know better. Soldiers have to sacrifice things they want for the greater good. I don’t want you to feel like you have to put up with me and my improper advances because I’m your commanding officer. You have every right to walk away right now, save your career, and report me. I wouldn’t blame you because I’ve stepped over the line several times now, I think. I’m sorry.” She was rattling off some things that she’d practiced in her head a thousand times, but every word twisted in her heart just a little more, each a tiny blade.

“Well, I’m sorry, too,” he flatly began. The way he paused caused her stomach to drop to her toes. Kaidan was about to bid her farewell and head back to the Alliance offices. Even when she thought she’d braced herself for this inevitability, grief screamed at the back of her mind. Still, she couldn’t blame him for being smart regarding his future. “Because you’re stuck with me.”

Shepard’s gaze suddenly snapped to his face and she stared in genuine disbelief. He chuckled with an ease that should have been impossible given their current, urgent, and dangerous situation. There was no stopping the fluttering feeling she felt in her chest at the sound.

Regardless, the proper commanding officer in her emerged as she straightened her stance and addressed him properly. “Alright, Lieutenant. You have my apologies and assurance that I won’t overstep my bounds from here on out. You don’t have to–”

The words she’d finally managed to compile into reasonably confident and coherent sentences were stifled completely when Kaidan swiftly stepped forward and placed a hand on either side of her jaw, silencing her with a fervent kiss. Though she was initially shocked by his abrupt and fearless approach, she simply couldn’t deny her relief. Her eyes drifted shut as she tilted her head, completely accepting and furthering what he’d started… entirely against her better judgment.

She could feel his biotics surging across her skin and she responded immediately, nearly beyond her control, as her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt to pull him closer. For a fleeting, heavenly moment, she forgot all about Saren, the Alliance, protheans, and reapers. All that seemed to register was the thundering of both their heartbeats and the thrill of experiencing something she’d wanted so badly but denied for too long.

Kaidan stepped back, leaving her bewildered and out of breath. He seemed similarly addled, but at the same time very aware and pleased about what he’d just done. Shepard was admittedly rather intrigued by this exceedingly confident and bold side of him she hadn’t really seen before. They both took a moment to recover, smoothing over wrinkles in uniforms and taking deep, steadying breaths.

The Commander looked at him questioningly, unsure of exactly what she wanted to ask.

“I’ve made my choice. Now you’ll just have to report _me_ ,” he said, cheeks still adorably flushed as he straightened up and offered her a salute accompanied by a devilish smirk. “Ma’am.”


End file.
